Weru 89.9 Fm Blue Hill, Maine Local News And Public Affairs Archives

Host: Galen Koch Coastal Conversations: Conversations with people who live, work, and play on the Maine coast, hosted by the University of Maine Sea Grant Program. This month: This program features an episode of Island Institute’s podcast, From the Sea Up. Nestled within an archipelago in Penobscot Bay, the towns of Stonington and Deer Isle share an island and a public school system, deep family ties, a culture rooted in commercial fishing and art, and, like much of the nation, a dire housing crisis. In these towns there are simply not enough places for working people to live. Over twenty years ago, a small group of passionate Islanders began brainstorming and researching one solution to the housing problem. In 2020 that group, Island Workforce Housing, broke ground on the construction of five homes, each containing two year-round rentals. This is just one solution to a monumental issue facing this island and other communities in Maine and around the country.  In this episode, we dig into the domino effe